These Violent Delights
by bombalurima
Summary: An AU featuring Blue Spirit Zuko and Kyoshi Warrior Mai. When a mysterious masked man begins haunting Kyoshi Island, the Kyoshi Warriors take it upon themselves to handle it...but Mai didn't expect any of this to happen. Rated M for a reason. XD
1. Chapter 1

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_A/N: I have GOT to stop coming up with fic ideas and wanting to write them all. XD_

_So, um...pretty much the hottest AU idea in the world is Kyoshi Warrior Mai/Blue Spirt Zuko. I've always meant to do a fic about it, but have never gotten around to it...and since my mojo was gone for a while (!) nothing really got off the ground. Now that it's BACK though, I can kick its ass back into gear with a hawt/action-packed fic._

Because forbidden love is the best.

Anyway, although this fic is an AU, some of it remains true to canon. Zuko is still the banished prince of the Fire Nation, Aang and co. are still runnin' around the place...the only real difference is that Mai and Ty Lee are both Kyoshi Warriors now, Mai having ran away from her FN home and Ty Lee having left the circus to join.

Oh, um...it's rated M for a reason, people. There's gonna be some steaminess later on.

ALSO: the title comes from a quote from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet.' I don't like the play itself, but I'm a sucker for Shakespeare, and most of the quotes themselves from R&J are absolutely beautiful. This is where the title comes from:

_"These violent delights have violent ends  
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,  
Which as they kiss consume."  
_  
-Act II, scene iii

Enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

For days now, rumors had been circling around the small island town of Kyoshi.

No one was exactly sure just how true the whispers were. No one could be entirely positive that the stories were totally accurate.

But that being said—no one could disprove them either.

They certainly were intriguing, dark and mysterious, and if the Kyoshi Warriors had been any other group of teenage girls, they might have been halfway spellbound, halfway terrified.

It was a lucky thing that they weren't.

"The rumors are just that…rumors," Scoffed a tall, dark-haired girl when the leader of the Warriors called an emergency meeting to discuss the current events at hand. "There isn't any proof that a 'mystery man in a mask' has been prowling around the village, so therefore, I doubt it's anything to worry about."

"But Mai…" The smaller girl, with wide gray eyes and a long brown braid, who was sitting next to her, turned and stared at her. "There have been so many reports…people are starting to get nervous."

"That's true," Piped up another young woman, her hands folded neatly in her lap. "It's certainly causing the villagers a good deal of grief. I think they all would feel a lot safer if we were to investigate…"

"There's nothing to investigate," Snorted Mai, waving one long-fingered hand.

"It's our duty to protect this village," A different girl, long-faced and serious-looking, frowned at Mai. "If something is giving our people unrest, we need to look into it."

"Suki?" The girl with the long braid turned to face the young woman at the front of their group, the only one standing. "You're the leader…what do you think?"

Suki, the head of the group, made for a striking sight indeed with her clear, astute blue eyes, and cropped auburn hair. Clad in the green, armor-furnished dress that served as the Warriors attire, her face immaculately powdered with white paint, red and black trimmed around her eyes in the traditional make-up that all of the Warriors of Kyoshi wore to honor their founder. All of the other young women were styled in exactly the same way, a set of lovely, feminine china dolls—until someone should try to put that theory to the test.

After pondering for a moment, Suki nodded decisively. "I think Hana's right."

Mai opened her mouth to protest, as the stern-faced girl who had lectured her earlier smiled in satisfaction. Suki, however, cut her off before she could make a sound.

"I know that you feel it's unnecessary, Mai…but this still deserves an investigation, however brief. The rumors are growing too large to ignore."

Mai snapped her painted mouth shut, gold eyes narrowed and glittering dangerously—but she did not speak. If there was one thing her mother had taught her, back in the old life she had left behind, was how to keep silent.

"We'll conduct an exploration," Suki decided, pacing back and forth in front of the assembled Warriors as she mused out loud. "We'll lay low for a bit, and wait and see if this alleged masked man starts stirring up any trouble…for now, he's only succeeded in spooking the villagers. It might be in our best interest to simply wait at the time."

She turned and looked towards Mai, her second-in-command and a brilliant strategist at that, but the other girl merely rolled her eyes skyward. "Don't look at me. I was never interested in this to begin with."

Suki sighed, and turned to the rest of her group for support. "Does that work with everyone else?"

There was a collective nod and murmur of assent at her inquiry, and the girl with the braid bobbed enthusiastically, positively quivering with excitement.

Mai merely scoffed.

* * *

Kyoshi Island was not a large one. It was noted for not only being the birthplace of the famed Avatar Kyoshi, but also, in more recent times, as one of the few neutral places left in the world-torn world. The Great War had been raging for one hundred years now, and somehow, someway, the little island had kept itself out of trouble, had managed to fight off any Fire Nation attacks and live with relative security and ease inside the bubble they had sealed themselves in.

Perhaps that was why his arrival had caused such a stir.

The masked man had to chuckle to himself, perched on top of the roof of a building as night fell over Kyoshi. Ordinarily, he might have not have bothered with as mundane and as trivial a place as this as his next location, but desperate times called for desperate measures…and, even he had to admit it to himself, these were desperate times he was in.

He had entirely forgotten about the Kyoshi Warriors, the elite group of young women who guarded the island from all foes, and so far, had an absolutely stunning track record. Judging by the unease he seemed to have inspired in the village's inhabitants, it could not be long before the Warriors were alerted, and they began a search for him.

Quite frankly, he welcomed the challenge. It had been too long since he had fought a decent fight. Perhaps a group of powdered women would show him his match, or at the very least, give him something to do as he waited for his real prey to arrive.

Smirking behind his mask, the man leaped from the roof and landed on the ground, as silently and with all the grace of a cat. He reached behind his back and checked to make sure that his signature dual broadswords were still in place. All was well.

If he was going to attract the attention of the Kyoshi Warriors, he would have to do it quickly and efficiently. He set off down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: ...in which the Blue Spirit is a creeper. XD_

_Oh, and for the record, Zuko is not able to recognize them here because he has not seen the two girls in quite some time-and they have done so growing up. Later on, he may be able to identify them, but not at this time._

* * *

Mai prided herself on being a patient woman, but this was too much.

She and Ty Lee had been sent on the evening patrol, the two of them sent to scout around the village during the twilight hours. "Keep your eyes peeled," Suki had advised them as they were putting the finishing touches on their uniforms. "Our masked man might be lurking."

"Wouldn't it be exciting if we actually saw him?" Ty Lee asked Mai in a breathless voice, sliding her shoes on. Mai didn't find it incredibly hard to believe that her friend was laboring under the delusion of a dashing, mysterious man in a mask arriving to wreck havoc on Kyoshi Island before revealing himself to be a long-lost prince or something of the like and sweeping her off of her feet. It was ridiculous, but not surprising.

"It would give us something to do, at least," Mai retorted, making sure her knives were in place. The island had been quiet for such a long time. A masked robber _would _make for a welcome break in the monotony.

"Just stay on your guard," Suki sighed, rolling her eyes at both of her warriors.

"As if we could ever forget," Mai sniffed as Ty Lee bobbed her head.

They had departed from their training center then, where the girls practiced, ate, slept, and lived in general, and set off for the hub of the village.

The night was fairly chilly, but Ty Lee seemed to be keeping herself warm with her never-ending chatter and jaunty steps.

"I wonder if he's a good fighter," The former circus girl mused out loud. "Do you think he has a lot of experience, Mai?"

"Ty Lee, we're still not even sure if he _exists," _Mai pointed out crossly.

"I'm sure he does!" Ty Lee insisted confidently.

Mai scoffed, but didn't push the subject. One of them was going to be proven wrong, and it simply couldn't be her. Ty Lee, and the rest of the Warriors who believed in this masked man, would soon realize that their judgment had been drawn too soon.

* * *

The man behind the mask had to admit, it was cold tonight. The thin cloth of his suit did little to shield him from the wind and the chill, and he wondered if he dared to use his certain other talent to keep himself warm…

It was worth the risk. Slowly, gradually, he used his Firebending to warm himself up, nothing too extreme, but to a nice, comfortable temperature. Before long, the cool air did little to disturb him.

He was perched on top of one the thatched roofs, no doubt someone's home, waiting until the lights in all the little houses had gone out. Though he had done some exploring in his brief time here, it would be good to take a leisurely, albeit rather poorly lit stroll, through the village.

Just as he was debating if now was the right time to begin his journey, the sound of a voice startled him and halted him in his tracks.

By craning his neck, he was able to see two figures walking down the path. The smaller one was talking in a bright, girlish voice, though he couldn't exactly make out what she was saying.

As the two grew closer, the conversation between the two of them became easier to detect.

"It's only our third round of the village, Mai! It'd be silly to go back now!"

"Nothing's happening," Insisted the other figure, and her voice sent shivers up the masked man's spine. Hoarse, raspy, and oddly sensual…just those two words, and he wanted to hear her speak more. Luckily, his wish was granted.

"We'll do a few more circles, and then let's call it a night. It's freezing out here. Someone else can take over for us."

"Oh, fine…" The other girl sighed, recognizing defeat, and they both fell silent as they continued on their way.

So, they had already started the patrols. Did they honestly believe that two mere girls were enough to prove an adequate match for him?

Shaking his head at the nonsense, the man leaped, as silently as a cat, over to the roof of the next house, and then the next. He kept his journey up, following the two young women, but always at a safe distance, never close enough for them to notice him.

Some time later, they finished with their patrol and began to head up the path and towards a larger building he had noticed before—he realized now that it must be the settlement where the Kyoshi Warriors lived.

He settled down in a nearby tree, and watched as the two girls slipped inside. He had not gotten a good look at either of them with the night's cloak of darkness around them, and he wanted to see them (primarily the one with the hoarse voice) before he too turned in for the night.

The spirits must have been smiling down at him—within moments, a light had flicked on inside one of the rooms close to where he was perched. Grinning to himself, he slid from the tree branch and onto the roof, landing with a sound. Peering into the window would be a challenge…if they turned and saw him, the game would be up. He steeled himself, and dared to make what he hoped was a subtle peek inside.

The girl closest to him was shorter—the one with the bubbly voice. She had long brown hair coiled into a braid, a round face, and the widest gray eyes he had ever seen. She was obviously saying something, her mouth a blur of movement as she chattered away.

He turned his head, and his breath caught in his throat. The other girl, the one who had spoken with the raspy voice, was halfway through a state of undress. She had long, raven-colored hair that fell in a waterfall down her back, gleaming in the lamp light of their room. Her eyes were almond-shaped and palest gold, her skin almost as naturally pale as the make-up she wore. She was absolutely stunning.

He watched as she stripped down until only the lightest of all shifts was all she had on, the tops of her breasts peeking out. Her legs were long and slim, seemingly never-ending…he dared to follow them upwards towards her thighs, about where the shift ended. He licked his lips.

The two girls each sat at a mirror propped against the wall and began to dab at their make-up, wiping it off with cloths until the skin below was exposed and washed clean. It was fairly uninteresting and more than trivial, but the man hovered for a moment, simply watching the dark-haired girl as she moved.

It was time to leave, he decided. He could not afford to linger any longer at the window, no matter how much he wanted to. Carefully, he turned and slid off the roof as stealthily as he had landed on it.

He landed on the ground and started on his way, but not before looking back once more at the light in the window and feeling a stir of desire for a certain girl inside.


End file.
